This time period was echoed by another source who noted that while "it's not as if [crunch] happens on a daily basis," it's more common "during the ROM check for the publisher or two to three months before release."
How is this overtime compensated? According to one source, overtime is "generally included in the salary." After midnight, however, "we were paid late-night overtime but that was half of our usual hourly rate."
This is unusual in Japanese companies, where "hourly wages are often increased" after midnight.
(
Source: I live and work in Japan, no not an English teacher)
Yes in Japan, it's quite common for a certain amount of overtime to be "included" in your salary. It's generally called みなし残業 (minashi zangyo), and it means that (
generally, not all contracts are the same of course), for instance, if you're paid a certain amount (baked into your salary) for 30 hours of standard overtime, you won't get any extra overtime pay unless you go over those 30 hours and/or you work unsociable hours (for my company that's anything past 10pm or weekdays/national holidays) if that's written into your contract.
If they are only getting paid half-time after midnight then most likely they saw what contract they were getting into and knowingly agreed to it. So... tough shit.
Also, more generally, it's less common in Japanese companies to see someone clocking off bang on the dot of their specified end of shift unless they are just doing some sort of low paid, menial admin task sort of job.
Salary Explorer reports the monthly average salary in Japanese game development ranges from ¥231,000 ($1,675) to ¥735,000 ($5,328). By comparison, recent roles advertised at From Software all start "from ¥220,000 ($1,595)" per month.
It's
worth taking into context that monthly rent in Tokyo averages around ¥203,730 ($1,477) for a single bed apartment while the
cost of living hovers around ¥138,984 ($1,008). These no doubt factor in to staff dissatisfaction with salaries.
So I've lived in central-ish Tokyo in a nice single bed apartment (studio apartment that is), which gave me a 30minute-ish commute from Tokyo station, and my rent was a smidge over ¥100,000.
I've lived in a tiny apartment (like really small) in a nice suburban area even closer for about ¥85,000.
I currently live in a really nice, brand new luxury two bedroom apartment with my girlfriend (about an hour out from Tokyo by train) and we pay ¥170,000.
I personally don't know anyone who pays ¥200,000 for a single bed apartment. That would be pretty damn luxury or it would be
right in the center of Tokyo, which of course is a lifestyle choice.
On the salaries:
フロム・ソフトウェアの中途・新卒・アルバイトに関する採用情報サイトです。各募集要項やインターンシップに関する情報は、当サイトをご覧ください。「価値のある」ゲームづくりに共に真剣に取り組める仲間を募集しています。
careers.fromsoftware.jp
It advertises a new graduate salary at ¥260,000, including various benefits like housing allowance (rent subsidy) which is not amazing but not out of the ordinary. Graduate salaries typically suck across the board unless you go into something the legal or finance industry.
On top of that, it says the company pays two bonuses per year (seemingly 1 months' salary worth each based on glassdoor-esque reviews but hard to tell) and it even says they pay an extra bonus at the end of the fiscal year depending on the overall company's performance (it mentions paying between 2 and 4 months' worth but I'll count it as one month since it's likely highly variable).
Back of a napkin salary calculation
1) So if we take that
¥260,000, multiply by 12 we get
¥3,120,000
2) Get that number and then add three months' worth of salary (¥1,040,000) we get
¥3,900,000
This is actually ever so
slightly below the average in 2021 (about ¥4,030,000m according to recruitment firm
Doda).
Also I'm saying the average for all working people, not just for graduates. The average starting graduate salary is almost definitely lower.
---------
So yeah I don't really see the issue. If someone joins From Software knowing the salary is shit then either they did it because:
1) they really want to work at that company
2) they weren't attractive enough as a candidate to negotiate a higher salary or find a better offer elsewhere
Also such a salary is enough to live comfortably in/close to Tokyo as long as you're not expecting Ritz-Carlton level accommodation in the center of Tokyo overlooking the imperial palace. Pretty simple.
www.gamesindustry.biz
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